In a game that came down to the final seconds, the 76ers (9-5) fell to the Memphis Grizzlies (6-6), 106-104, on the first night of their back-to-back.
Heading to Oklahoma City for Sunday’s matchup, the Sixers will look to limit their turnovers while shorthanded, as Joel Embiid remains out (right knee pain), along with Seth Curry (health and safety protocols), Furkan Korkmaz (left adductor strain), and Mike Scott (right knee swelling).
The Sixers committed 22 turnovers against the Grizzlies,which limited themselves to 11 and proved to make the ultimate difference. Despite taking a 28-18 advantage in the fourth quarter, the Sixers’ late push was not quite enough.
In his first game since Dec. 28 (ankle sprain), Ja Morant led the Grizzlies in scoring, finishing with 17 points and six rebounds. Seven Grizzlies finished in double-figures.
Key Contributors:
-
Shake Milton
-
Milton led the Sixers in scoring for the second time in as many games, finishing with a game-high 28 points (10-18 FG) off the bench. He added three rebounds, four assists, and two steals, shooting a nearly perfect 6-for-7 from the foul stripe.
-
Tobias Harris offered Milton props:
-
“Shake’s been great. He’s a guy who’s got a lot of confidence. He doesn’t shy away from the moment. He’s really skilled with the basketball… He’s been a huge spark.”
-
Tobias Harris
-
Harris finished with 21 points, three rebounds, three assists, and three blocks. He made all seven of his free throw attempts.
-
Despite a strong fourth quarter, Harris took ownership over a costly turnover, and knows his team can improve and bounce back:
-
“We’ve just got to be really solid, we’ve got to have great energy at the start of games… We’ll be fine, I know we will be.”
-
Ben Simmons
-
Simmons was a single assist away from his second straight triple-double, finishing with 11 points, 16 rebounds, nine assists, and a block.
Quote to Note:
Rivers had high praise for Milton postgame:
Up Next:
For the second night of their back-to-back, the Sixers will face the Oklahoma City Thunder (6-6) for the first time this season.
The Thunder beat the Bulls in overtime Friday, fueled by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 33-point, 10-rebound performance. Gilgeous-Alexander leads the Thunder in both scoring (21.6 ppg) and sharing (6.2 ppg) this season.
The Thunder will be without Trevor Ariza (not with team), Al Horford (personal reasons), and Ty Gerome (left ankle sprain) in Sunday’s matchup.